


Summer Fruits

by QDS



Category: The Wind in the Willows
Genre: Community: kink_bingo, Food, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-06-10
Updated: 2011-06-10
Packaged: 2017-10-20 07:20:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,141
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/210178
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QDS/pseuds/QDS
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A basket of strawberries, a pot of clotted cream, and a bright summer's day.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Summer Fruits

**Author's Note:**

> Written for 2011-12 [](http://kink-bingo.dreamwidth.org/profile)[**kink_bingo**](http://kink-bingo.dreamwidth.org/). Prompt: food. Despite there being no sex, it does indeed feel like the naughtiest thing I've ever written for these two.

Usually, when they went out on the River for their picnic, they brought the Rat's basket stuffed with everything delicious – coldtonguecoldhamcoldbeefpickledgherkinssaladfrenchrollscresssandwichespottedmeatgingerbeerlemonadesodawater – but today, the Mole held on his lap one small pot, filled with thick clotted cream, and between his paws, a small basket of strawberries.

Last week, the best fruit in the whole wide world, according to the wisdom of Toad, had been the grape. Mole and Rat and Badger had been treated to piles of red and white grapes, laid about before them at Toad Hall like a banquet for the gods of old. The three of them had tolerated the obsession most willingly, though Badger declared Toad would soon make himself sick on so many grapes. This of course came to pass, and it was only through Badger's intervention that Toad didn't throw the whole lot of them into the River. The Rabbits were delighted with Toad's apparent generousity, and for days were seen prancing through the grass, throwing grapes to each other and catching them with giggles.

Then that morning a knock came on Rat's door. Mole had opened it to find Toad who, resplendent in a red vest, presented him with what he declared to be the most perfect fruit in the entire world – who needed those silly grapes when the strawberry was so beautiful in form. Just look at that vibrant red, that adorable tuft of green, the little dots of yellow seeds on its skin? Toad had thrust the basket to Mole, and carried on evangelising the fruit up the River.

Basket in hand, Mole had only to show it to Rat for Rat to sit quite upright and put aside the morning paper.

Mole could see Rat eying the full red fruit as he rowed them towards their most favourite picnic spot. The oars dipped into the water, making the boat gliding with graceful ease. When the boat reached the bank, Mole carefully stepped out, not wanting to upset the precious cargo. Rat moored the boat, and collected the picnic blanket.

Mole inhaled, the scent of the summer day stirring his chest. The sun had displayed its rays all morning with pride, and dappled the shadow of the birch tree under which Rat laid out the picnic blanket.

"It is such a perfect day, Ratty."

Rat sat with his leg outstretched, and brushed a spot on the blanket next to him, smiling very indulgently.

"Come, dear Mole."

Mole knelt, and placed between them the pot of cream, and then the little basket of strawberries next to it.

Rat said, "I think I should like a strawberry, Moley."

"With cream too?"

"Naturally."

Mole tried to be very solemn as he plucked out the first strawberry, like a carved tip of an arrow, but as he dipped it into the cream, he giggled.

Rat regarded him with serious eyes, and Mole gulped down the next giggle. He curved the strawberry into the cream, gathering as much as he could on to it, and held it up, close to Rat's mouth. Rat took a sharp bite of the strawberry. Mole's hand quivered a little as Rat's teeth cut through the cream. It broke across his lips, caught in his whiskers. Another bite, and Rat's lips were against Mole's fingers where he held the green stem.

Mole sighed as Rat licked away the stray cream from his whiskers.

Rat said, "Very good strawberry. And delicious cream."

Mole looked between the basket and the pot. He glanced up at Rat, peering through his eye lashes. Rat smirked, and chose another strawberry. He took so long, scooping up the clotted cream, making sure the thickness of it was the same all the way around the fruit, that by the time he was done, Mole was fighting back drool at the corner of his mouth.

Rat held it to Mole. Mole leaned forward to take a bite, but Rat drew it away. Mole crossed his arms.

"You're teasing, Ratty."

"So I am, Moley." He held it out again, and once more drew it away from Mole's eager mouth. "So I am."

Mole huffed. "Well that's hardly – "

The cream-covered strawberry suddenly filled Mole's mouth. He yelped, but another push from Rat and he bit down. A delicious sensation tripped down Mole's back. The cream was so smooth, and the strawberry so sweet, the flesh so tender as he chewed. His eyes never left Rat's for a moment, and as he finished, he licked the furry tips of Rat's fingers.

"Thank you."

Rat waggled his eyebrows. Mole shuffled a little closer, put his hand on Rat's thigh.

Rat said, "Perhaps this time without the cream? So we can really taste how fresh they are."

Mole nodded. He selected one that was almost round, except for the cleft at its base. He circled his hand, Rat's eyes following the track of the strawberry. Mole then held it still, forcing Rat to lean forward. Mole watched as Rat's sharp teeth sunk into the red skin, splitting it to reveal the pink flesh inside. Mole swallowed at the same time as Rat did, imagining the strawberry sliding down in his own throat. Rat took two more bites, each time cutting the strawberry precisely, the yellow seeds breaking beautifully against his teeth, it all vanishing into his wet mouth. Mole was salivating as Rat chewed the last piece.

When Rat picked up the next strawberry, he held it slightly higher, forcing Mole's snout in the air to nibble at it. Oh...it tasted fresh like the summer day, sweet and yielding against his tongue, yet firm enough that each bite. Mole's whole chest was humming as he finished it, leaving only the stem.

Some of the juice dribbled down Rat's fingers, and Rat brought them to his own mouth, and licked them clean. Mole squeezed Rat's thigh. They would not sit any closer to each other, not today, not with the whole River going by, but this was enough. More than enough. The two of them, the clotted cream, and the strawberries.

Mole looked at the basket. "There are so many left."

"And we aren't going to let any go to waste, are we Mole?"

"Oh, of course not." He picked up another, dipped it into the glorious cream, and lifted it for Rat to devour.

*

From the water, perhaps ten feet from where the Rat and the Mole sat on their blanket, the Otter and Portly gazed; Otter wide-eyed in astonishment, and Portly all a little puzzled.

"They look so tasty," Portly said at last. "Perhaps if we ask very politely they might share –"

"No, Portly,” Otter said quickly. "No...I think we'd better leave them alone."

Portly pouted, but Otter took his son's hand and guided him away from the bank, leaving the Mole and the Rat with their strawberries, and each other.

–  
End


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